Michael Sam signs deal with CFL's Montreal Alouettes

Michael Sam is headed to Canada.

The Montreal Alouettes landed exclusive CFL rights to Sam while he was still in college at Missouri; the team announced that they had signed him to a one-year deal with a team option year on Friday.

"With the signing of Michael Sam, we have become a better organization today," Alouettes general manager Jim Popp said in a release reported by ESPN. "Not only have we added an outstanding football player, we have added even a better person that brings dignity, character, and heart to our team."

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Sam, 25, became the first openly gay player to be drafted in the National Football League — by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round of the 2014 draft. But the Rams waived Sam in their final round of cuts, and a short stint on the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad ended with him being released in October 2014. He participated in the NFL veterans combine in March, but no team chose to make him an offer then, either.